Copyright Issues

In my master’s degree program we did a large amount of research. One of the topics I chose to examine was copyright and fair use laws. All teachers need to be aware of these laws.  In my experience, most teachers are either not aware of these laws, or just ignore them.  In fact, I was unaware of the information of which I collected in my research of the topic. I believe teachers should be aware of repercussions of not following copyright laws and fair use policies.

Perhaps your school gives professional development about copyright and fair use policies. Most schools have fair use policies in their faculty and/or school policy handbooks. If not, I am linking my Delicious files and an “Overview and General Information on Copyright and Fair Use Law Websites” list I created in order to assist teachers when they had questions about copyright and fair use.

There may not be a “copyright cop” in your building, but you should know your responsibilities regarding fair use and copyright policies.

Have you ever thought about copyright issues when you made copies from a textbook or workbook? Share your questions and opinions here!


Photo courtesy of: http://www.copyrightauthority.com/copyright-symbol/

KNOW your students

I came across this fantastic blog entry and I just can't think of a way to say it better than the author. Please read this entry and remember how VERY important it is to know your students and from whence they come:
http://bit.ly/fB4HLx

I've attended birthday and holiday celebrations from other cultures, attended ballgames, recitals, etc. All of these helped me to get to know my students better. I hope you will follow the advice in the linked blog entry - it will help you so much!

By the way, use common sense. Making home visits may not be the best advice, but the one about breaking bread together is a great one!